People familiar with the culture of marching band and drum and bugle corps are used to lengthy discussions (and debates) entailing what music should and should not be played on the field. Some marching band directors have to worry about the music they are planning on playing being banned by their district, but it’s not very often that a piece being played by a marching band evokes such great passion and controversy! (At least the students were provided with an opening for some interesting discussions about text and meaning in music.)
Music teachers do have to deal with many issues regarding the music they select to be performed by their students. Many issues revolve around the use of sacred music and even secular music that is associated with a particular holiday. As the cultural and religious backgrounds of our students and members of our community widen, we will probably have to deal with these and other related issues more and more. It’s probably a good time to revisit existing policies and have some dialogue around these issues.